Culture and cultural sector in national policy of Vietnam since the Doi Moi reforms

Abstract

Since the Doi Moi reforms, initiated in 1986, Vietnam has gone through rapid transformations. The development of culture has been affected by the chain reaction of social, economic, and even some political changes. One of important achievements of the Doi Moi era is that national policy has included culture as a vital factor in development of the nation and stability of the society. Following the market liberalization, the cultural sector matures as the inference of the state decreases. This paper highlights the ambiguous position of culture in the national policy: on the one hand its importance in sustaining the nation, on the other hand the secondary position in the investment priorities. The cultural sector, which was forgotten in the war time, neglected by the early socialist regime, and suffered limitations due to economic difficulties, finally, with the recent growth can be revised. Participation in international networks of cultural exchanges has given Vietnam an impetus to develop policies for protection of traditional art and promotion of modern artistic expressions. With stronger sense of appreciation of own heritage, culture becomes not only a form of entertainment or a luxury for those who can afford it. It becomes an indicator for cultural identity and awareness of the Vietnamese people. Yet, despite recent rapid economic growth, culture and cultural industry has never been a top priority for national development. There is still relatively limited number of cultural policies and legal capacities to directly address problems and issues. And of those existing policies assisting the development of cultural sector, many have not been implemented.